Being Normal's Not So Easy
by ecStarz
Summary: When Max gets captured after being shot out of the sky and becomes 'normal', it's up to Fang and the flock to help her remember everything. After they find her, that is. Will Max want to be found and turned back into the Avian-American we all know and love? Read and find out... I accept anonymous reviews.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey! So, before you go all psychotic on me, I **_**know **_**that the first part of the story is taken from MR: TAE, because that is the point. I set this story in place of Max's headache. Instead of her headache she gets shot, you get the idea. I wanted to fit it in as smoothly as possible so I just took the 'anecdote' from the book to use it as the introduction for this story. So short in short- I know I used the actual book but this is the only part I used, I promise. Please don't sue me.**

**Anyway, enjoy! And Please review! **

**Prologue**

Blue, blue sky, above the clouds. The air is colder, but the sun is warmer up this high. The air is thin and light, like champagne.

I felt happy. The six of us were aimless, on the run, and might be for the rest of our lives, however long or short they might be. But…

"God!" Nudge said, speeding up a bit to catch my slipstream. "It's just so, so… you know?" She swooped down gracefully, then rose again and pulled alongside.

"Yeah, I know," I said, grinning at her.

"I mean, the air, and we're up so high, and no one's after us, and we're all together, and we even hit IHOP for breakfast." She looked over at me, her brown eyes bright and untroubled. "I mean, God, we're just up here, and it's like so cool, and down below kids are stuck in school or, like, cleaning their rooms."

I nodded, "It's a shame that we'll never have that to look forward to on a daily basis." Luckily, Nudge picked up on my sarcasm and laughed.

Then, in the next second, a loud explosion reached my ears from the earth and pain throbbed in an area right beneath my rib cage. _What the-?_ I hesitantly lifted my hand to my stomach and when I pulled it back to examine it, it was covered with blood. _Oh, oh God._ I think I made some kind of sound, but I wasn't sure of anything at the moment.

"_Max?"_ Nudge screamed.

I couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't do a thing. My wings folded like paper, and I started to drop like a hailstone.

Something was incredibly wrong.

I felt like I was falling in slow motion. I watched as the five kids above me stared, with horror-stricken expressions, at me falling down, down, down to my death.

Fang. He was the first one to break. He flew-slash-dropped as fast as he could down to me but I already had about a ten second lead on him. I knew he was set on saving me, but I also realized that he wasn't going to make it in time.

I tried to fight to stay alert and conscious, but I was slowly bleeding to death. Breathing was also a necessity of staying alive and I was being deprived of that at the moment. I should've been thinking more positive thoughts, but you know that's never really been my forte. When it hit me that I couldn't do anything other than wait for my pain-filled body to come in contact with the ground, I let my eyelids slowly flutter shut. The last thing I heard before my senses shorted out sounded like Fang screaming, but I must've been imagining it because Mr. Rock doesn't get… emotional, right? It was too late to think about it.

I don't know how it came to be, but I managed to gather all the strength that was left in me to scream six words. "Fang, take care of the flock!" I didn't get the chance to comprehend if he replied or not before my vision was clouded with darkness.

_Why am I not dead? I should be dead right now. _You don't just get shot and live, but here I was, staring at the ceiling with only two thoughts swirling around in my head.

I tried to sit up, but I couldn't. I was strapped down onto a bed and when that thought came to realization, I had to use my eyes to take a closer look at the room I was being held in. It was white from top to bottom- white ceilings, white walls, white floors. It was like I was in a giant marshmallow. I almost started laughing from the stupidity of the situation when I realized that it was _the place. _The place where I grew up, where the evil Whitecoats had made me and my family's life a living Hell. The place I didn't think I would be back at until we decided to do some major damage.

This was totally _not_ my plan.

My thoughts were rudely interrupted by a man in a blue blazer who barged through the door, clearly not caring about anyone else but himself. "Hello, Maximum, my name is Dr. Yuresh-" Well, the name fit- he looked Indian. "-How are you feeling?" _Just dandy, how are _you_ feeling?_

I smirked. "Just peachy," I started, "wait, no- my abdomen kinda hurts which probably indicates that the last memory I have was in fact, _real_, and you're not some pigment of my messed-up imagination and I _did_ get shot. Which also means that my family probably thinks I'm dead and I'm back at the School, strapped down to a bed, and stuck in a room, with you. No offense. So… no, I'm not feeling too great, thanks for asking."

Dr. Yuresh looked taken aback, like he didn't expect me to talk at all, or even a little, but he quickly got over it and looked down at a clipboard that he brought in with him. "Yes, well, they warned me that you'd be like this," he looked back at me, "so I'm going to pretend that you never said that. Anyway, I'm here to give you… options."

Well, this was new. I'd never been given the chance to consider _options_ before. I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of options?"

"It's simple. You get to choose what your future will be like from now on. If you don't give us a satisfying or successful answer, then we will choose for you. It's your choice."

"That doesn't seem like you're giving me much of a choice for anything. It's like you're telling me what choice to make; therefore, it's not really a choice."

The doctor was staying surprisingly calm for someone who just met me. "Well, would you like to hear those options, or not? Or would you like for us to perform the default plan?" He smiled like he knew something that I didn't and that feeling made me sick.

I sighed. "Ok, fine. Let's hear them."

He flipped a piece of paper back on his clipboard and started listing things. "Ok, first one. You will be able to-"

The door swung open and in rushed four whitecoats with clearly no other plan than to take me away. They started unstrapping me as fast as possible from the bed, but in the process, managed to bind my feet and hands together. How they got past my cat- I mean bird- like reflexes, I had no idea.

I tried to fight my way out of their grasp, but my first kick resulted in severe pain from my stomach and again I asked myself, _how am I not dead?_

The Whitecoats picked me up, gently I might add, and set me on a different bed, a bed that rolled. They rolled me out of the room and into a different one, but this time it was filled with equipment. "What the heck is going on?" I slightly yelled, just loud enough to be heard over the buzz of the high-tech machines. I didn't think they would tell me considering that they weren't 'authorized' or whatever.

There was huge bed in the middle of the room in which they threw me on top of. I was still bounded, so I couldn't do much except just go with the flow and think about a plan later.

What surprised me, however, was that they were hooking wires and sensors to my head and strapping…weights?... onto my ankles. "Again, will someone tell me what's going on?"

When they were finished they all seemed to join together in one big sigh of relief. Why, you might ask? Beats me.

Three of the scientists left the room, while one stayed behind and took a seat in a spinney chair like the one Gazzy used to play on back home. _Gazzy,_ I thought, and my heart clutched. I hope he and the rest of them were alright. I would find them, once I escaped this place. I had done it once already, I could do it again.

"Hello, Max," he said, turning back and forth slightly on his chair like a little kid.

"Um, hi." I didn't know what else to say. I have never been the friendly type when it came to people who tortured me for a living. Actually, no, I take that back. I had _a lot_ of things I wanted to say to that nutcase, but I had a gut feeling that he was about to give me answers and I couldn't waste his precious knowledge on my big mouth. "Would you be kind enough to spare me the details on why I'm strapped to a bed with sensors on my head and weights on my ankles?" I made sure to add a teensy bit of sarcasm to amuse myself but not enough that he'd pick up on it.

He smiled and gestured to the bed that I was lying on. "This is your future."

"My future is being strapped to a bed?"

His grin sort of faded. "Well, no, not exactly. Right now we are preparing you for your future." He pointed to my head. "We are rewiring your brain so you forget about your family, friends, home, past life, et cetera." He pointed to my ankles. "We put two-hundred-fifty pound weights on your ankles so you won't be able to fly once we release you. The muscles you use to fly will slowly weaken and you won't be able to fly again. It will be the most normal you can be without fully removing your wings."

I don't know what he said after that. He lost me after the whole 'rewiring my brain so I forget everything' thing. I'm sorry, but that is not ok with me. I kind of laughed it off. "Yeah right, you can't just _rewire _someone's brain, Doc."

"Oh, really?" He stood up and walked over to a panel of buttons that was attached to the wall, and frankly, I did not like where this was going. But before he pressed anything, he turned back to me. "Tell me, Max, what is your favorite food?"

I didn't have to think hard for that one. "Easy," I stated proudly, "homemade chocolate chip cookies." _Like the kind Dr. Martinez and Ella made for me._

"Ok, then." He turned back towards the panel and punched what looked like a random sequence and then turned back towards me. "Could you please tell me again what your favorite food is, Max?"

I groaned. "Whatever, it's – it's-" I froze. I couldn't remember what my favorite food was. I just couldn't remember. I absolutely hated this feeling. I felt vulnerable? I don't what I felt exactly, but I didn't like it.

"Ok, let's try this again." The Whitecoat punched another sequence of buttons and then asked the same question.

"Easy, the eggs that Iggy makes, but _scrambled_, not sunny side up."

He looked satisfied and I wondered why. "And that is how you rewire a person's brain." Oh. _Crap._

"Ok, fine." I gave up. "And why are you doing this? Do you honestly think I can just be normal?"

He shrugged. "Honestly? No. That's why we've chosen the best family for you to live with. You will have a mother, father, and pet of your choice." _Pet?_

"But what if I don't want a new family, or don't want to be normal? What if I just want to live, wherever that may be, with the family I have now? When will I get to see _them_ again?" I could've kept asking questions but breathing still hurt and I wanted to save my breath for later.

"Your new family will be far more superior than, uh, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel." He said their names with disgust and it made me angry. He had no right to talk about them like that. "And isn't that what you've always wanted? To be normal?"

I was flabbergasted. "Yes! But not like this! If I was to be normal, I'd want to be normal the normal way, and with my friends!"

"Well, this is the closest way."

"What?" I exclaimed, struggling against the straps. "How can you even say that? This is crazy! Get me out of here."

While I was busy struggling, the scientist got a shot from a nearby cupboard that contained a bright green liquid. I stopped fighting with myself when he stood creepily by the side of my bed with the needle armed and ready. "What's that?" I nodded at it.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little something to knock you out for a few hours while we recreate your life." He said it so calmly, it almost made me cry. _Almost._

"Don't touch me with that thing!" Like my pleading would make a difference. "Don't! I just want to be home, with my fami-, with F- Fang, an- and Igg-" The Whitecoat had injected the serum into my arm and I was suddenly doozy. I forgot how to do everything, speak, think, the whole sha-bang. Now, I just wanted to sleep. "Whaaa-"

"Don't worry, Max, I promise it won't hurt a bit. Soon, you'll be with your new family and you'll have forgotten all about your freaky mutant friends. Just in a few hours, you'll be a brand new person."

The last thought I remember having was '_Fang, save me. Help me remember.'_ Asking _him_? I don't know why.

Then I blacked out, not knowing what I would remember when I woke up.

**So, there's the prologue. A little short, I know, but I promise the chapters will be longer, that is… if you want me to keep writing. I'll only keep going if you want me to, so REVIEW! :)**

**I'm also open for any questions, suggestions, criticism, and anything that will make this better.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this and pleassseeee tell me what you think! And by the way, every other chapter from here on out will be Fang's view… just a heads up.**

**THANKS FOR READING!**

**-ecStarz**


	2. Chapter 1 Hints

**A/N: Hey! A big THANKS to those who reviewed! I appreciate it knowing that people actually read my story.**

**So, even I'm surprised that I got this done as fast as I did. You guys should be proud. Anyway, this chapter is in Max's view but I promise the next one will be in Fang's.**

**Thanks for reading, and remember: please review!**

**Chapter One**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Be-_CRASH! I threw my iPod off the bed, not caring where it landed. According to the sound it made, I think it hit a wall. _Beep. Beep. Beep… _Ugh! So the crash didn't kill the alarm; it still lived on, but I didn't care. I just wanted to go back to sleep, so I burrowed under my covers and covered my head with my pillow. Fortunately, it was enough to drown the sound out.

I had been in the middle of the craziest dream. _I_ was there, obviously, but so were five other kids that I had never seen in my life. And we all seemed happy together. Weird.

Too bad I couldn't fall asleep again. Darn.

I slowly crawled out of bed and walked blindly to the bathroom. I was pretty upset that I was defeated by my alarm clock, but I was refreshed to know that I had actually gotten some sleep for the first time in, what seemed like, weeks. I've been an insomniac for as long as I can remember, but it's gotten worse in the last month or so. In fact, this past month was when the dreams started. I _never _dreamed… I think, but so far, my dreams of consisted of the same things over and over- the five kids. I don't know why, but it freaked me out.

"Allie? Are you up?"

"Yeah, dad! Why?" I called back downstairs. I really hated my name, and I mean _really _hated it. It was too girly for me. I've always wanted a name more sporty and sophisticated. I think I'll get it legally changed when I'm eighteen. Yay, only four more years. Anyway…

"Because I heard a crash and I figured you threw your iPod across the room again!" Oh.

I smiled at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Yeah, that was pretty much routine for me. My alarm on my iPod would go off. I'd get grumpy. I'd fling it across the room. It'd break. My parents would have to buy me a new one. It's been like this for about a month now and no matter how hard I tried _not_ to break anything, trouble or fate would always find another way.

"I'm fine, dad… just getting ready!" I was going to leave it at that but then decided that I should add something. "And just so you know, it didn't break this time!"

"That's great, honey! Be ready to go in twenty!"

I froze. So _that's_ why my alarm went off. Today was my last day of school; last day of finals; last day of freaking _learning._

And I was going to be late.

I quickly brushed my teeth. I was only going through the motions, so I don't know if I actually cleaned my teeth to its full extent or not. Next, I put my make-up on. Like I said, I'm not a big girly-girl, so I only put on enough to make a difference but not enough to make it look unnatural. Actually, I'm probably the most un-girly female in my grade, but something about skirts, dresses, and doing my hair just doesn't appeal to me. Sweatshirts and Nike shorts were my usual attire, even in the winter. I quickly put on some foundation, dabbed on some blush, swiped on some eye shadow (tan, to match my skin color), applied eyeliner (brown- wouldn't want to stand out too much), and finished with a touch of mascara. I threw my hair into a ponytail and took one final look in the mirror before I left to go put my uniform of sweats. _Good enough._

I opened the drawers of my dresser that contained the t-shirts and just randomly picked one that was on top. I looked at the one I picked- all black with the school logo on it. Oh well, it would have to do for now, although, black is so not my color, it looks better on Fang.

My eyes widened and I snapped back up to a standing position. Fang. Fang. _Fang?_ Why did that name just pop into my mind? And why did I say that black looked better on Fang? Who, or should I say what, is a Fang? Is that even a name? And how do I know what color looks good on him (or it)?

"Allie?" _Oops._

"Yeah, sorry, coming!" I threw on the shirt and picked out some Nike shorts that matched. I pulled my favorite sweatshirt- more school merchandise- over my head and raced downstairs. I'll worry about my spazzed mind later. Now, it was time to not fail my freshman year of high school.

I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a Fiber One bar, even though I knew it wouldn't last me till lunch. I'm very tall and skinny for my age. Why? I don't know. But one thing I noticed, is that no matter how much I eat, I never gain any weight. I keep eating and eating, and I'm always hungry. My friends are jealous that I can do that without looking like the people on 'My 600-Pound Life', but I think it just makes me a freak. I've always assumed that it was part of the package deal that also included the wings. Yeah, you heard me right.

I said _wings._

On my back, I had huge 14-foot wings, but I had no idea how to use them. Now, I know what you're probably all thinking. 'How does a girl with wings attached to her back not know how to use them?' Simple. I just _don't._ I mean, sure I've tried a billion times, but no such luck. My parents told me to keep them a secret and to stop trying to fly. Honestly, I think they're just ashamed that they have a freak for a daughter.

People at school don't know about it either, that's kind of the main reason why I always wear sweatshirts. They're baggy enough to keep my wings hidden without making my backside look deformed. Plus, it helps that they fold up neatly against my back. It was a win-win situation.

"Allie, stop daydreaming and get in the car!" My dad called from the garage. He sounded angry, but I knew he meant well. I was always spacing out and getting in trouble for it. Oh, well.

"Sorry, sorry." I hopped in the front seat and before I even shut the door he backed down the driveway and onto the street.

My dad looked sideways at me. "Are you sure you're alright? What's with you today?"

"F-Y-I, dad, you never asked me if I was ok; therefore, I'm not sure," I said so quietly, I could barely hear myself. I raised my voice slightly, "Yeah, I'm fine." I sighed. "I just keep having weird, reoccurring dreams about, well, you know." I shifted my gaze from out the window to my dad behind the steering wheel.

"No, I don't know. Maybe you should tell me?" I don't know if it was my imagination or what, but my dad voice sounded strained.

I shook my head. "I'm not exactly sure, but every dream has to do with me and these five kids." I watched my dad's hand form a death grip on the wheel. "Dad, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." But his hands did not relax. "Now, about these five kids?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. Two look about my age; one has black hair and the other has blonde. There's a small black girl, but she's not one-hundred percent black, I don't think. Maybe half and half? Then there's a small boy and girl, who look like siblings." I watched my dad's facial expression contort from relaxed to stressed-out. "It's just a dream, dad," I said, trying to reassure him. Unless… "Why, do you recognize them?"

He stiffly shook his head, "Nope, can't say that I have, sorry." The word 'sorry' was said through semi-clenched teeth. He suddenly stopped the car. "Have a nice day at school, sweetie."

I looked out the window and realized that we were already at school. "Yeah, ok. I'll, uh- see you later. Um, bye!" I quickly hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I watched my dad drive away and a million questions started forming in my mind. Mostly having to do with why he started getting jittery about my dream.

I mentally shook my head. Nah, I'll just add it to my 'I'll worry about it later' list and ask him about it tonight.

I walked through the doors of the school with only one goal in mind- _passing ninth grade._

My eyes were glued on the clock as the final minutes of school passed by, and I'll have to admit, I was anxious to get out of here.

I have never liked school. Teachers, students, learning, the _crowdedness_, nothing. Just knowing that I had one minute and thirty seconds left in this hell hole was enough to make me happy.

Finals. That's what I've been doing since eight a.m. this morning and, let me tell you, have not gone very well for me. Math. Math is the worst subject ever discovered. I do so badly, it's practically funny. I even laugh at myself sometimes. English is a close second. We were supposed to create a visual project that showed the rest of the class how we've grown over the past year. Since most of my vivid memories go back as far as a month, I didn't have any real 'plot' to my project, so I failed it. Obviously. I don't know why I can only remember a month of my life, but it fits in with the freak deal.

_RIINNNGGGGG! _And then the halls were filled with cheers of excitement and freedom.

It was enough to make my head hurt.

I walked alone through the halls to my locker because I'm a loser and I have no friends. Now, those who like to take things literally- no, I am not a loser. I just don't have any friends. It's not like I can't make any (I've had a lot of offers/attempts) but I just find it hard to stay friends with people who I have to keep secrets from. I've found it easier to not try at all.

Ok, confession. I do have one friend, but just one. Alright, fine, you got me. I have two. We're actually real close, and I can tell them anything, if it doesn't involve my wings. They're amazing and I love hanging out with them, but it's in my nature to be alone, so I usually just hang out with them during school.

Anyway, after I fished my backpack out of my locker, I slammed it shut and walked toward the nearest exit, excited to finally leave this place for three months.

I walked out the door and stopped in my tracks to look up at the bright sun that was shining down. Sounds cheesy, I know. As I stared up at the sky, I wondered what it would be like being up there… being free.

What it would be like to fly.

But, as you know, my parents told me not to try, so that dream was out the door.

Speaking of flying, it reminded me of my wings. I had to get home to take my sweatshirt off so I could let them relax. They were starting to hurt, and I just didn't want to deal with it anymore.

I started walking in the direction of my house because my parents were both at work (my dad dropped me off at school on the way) so I had no way of getting home. (No friends, remember?) It wasn't that long of a walk, about thirty minutes. If I ran, even shorter. I was about to cross the busiest street on the way to my house when a car pulled up next to me.

I immediately became scared. Wait, no. Not scared, more like alert. I absolutely _hated_ when people snuck up on me. It gave me the willies. I turned to the car casually, in case it was someone who I didn't know, and this way prevented awkwardness. I was trying to figure out who was in the car when-

"Hey, giiirrrlllll!" Lindsey squealed from the car. I relaxed, realizing that it was one of my two friends. "What are you _doing_?"

"Um, you know, just walking home." I love my gift of speech; it's truly amazing.

"Well, duh silly, I can see that!" _Then why did you ask?_ "Do you need a ride?"

That was actually a pretty nice offer because I hated walking home. If I could get out of it, I would, and this seemed like the perfect chance. But let's be modest… "Nah, it's ok. I can walk."

"No, seriously. Get in the car! You're holding up traffic."

I smiled. Lindsey was, beyond any doubt, way too perky for me but she was one of my only friends, so I guess friendship comes with prices. "Do you even know where I live?" I asked, climbing into the back of her mom's car.

"I'm sure it's not that hard to find. Which neighborhood do you live in?"

"Indian Creek, right off of Maple. Uh, 192nd St."

"O-M-G, really? I live in that neighborhood, too!" She paused with a look of wonder. "Actually, I think I live right down the street from you! How crazy is that?" _No way._

"Pretty crazy," I admitted, looking down at my hands.

About five minutes of silence went past and we were on my driveway. How they knew which house was mine, I have no idea. Stalking, maybe? I'll check up on it later. "Thanks for the ride, Lindsey. I'll see you later," I said, getting out of the car.

"No prob. And yeah, we deff need to hang out this summer, 'k?" _Ummm._

"Sure, just txt me." _No, don't._

"Ok, bye Allie. Love you!"

I smiled until her mom drove away and then my grimace returned. Actually, call it my relaxed face because 'grimace' is so depressing.

I walked into the house and threw my backpack on the kitchen table and immediately headed to the couch where I planned to watch TV for the rest of the summer. That's me: a fourteen-year-old girl with big plans for her upcoming future.

"Hello, Allie. How was your last day of school?"

The voice scared me because I expected to be the only one home. I whipped my head around and saw my dad calmly sitting at the table reading a magazine. My backpack was just inches away from his hand. _How did I not see him before?_

"Oh, hey dad." I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Were you sitting there the whole time?" He nodded oh-so slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry." I got up from the couch and moved my backpack to the chair. "My day was pretty good. I'm just glad it's summer." My dad continued to stare at me so I took a deep breath. "I passed all my classes," I added sheepishly. Then his smile appeared.

"Aww, that's great, Allie! I'm so proud of you! Come here." I walked around the table to him and he pulled me into a hug. It felt… weird. It wasn't the first time he'd given me a hug, but it was one of the few. My parents weren't that big on showing affection, and if we're being honest here, I didn't mind.

"Thanks, dad," I sighed, plastering a faux smile on my face. "Hey, are you busy?"

He closed his magazine and pushed it off to the side. "No, not at all. What is it?" _Now or never._

"About my dream-" His face muscles immediately tensed up and I knew he wasn't going to give me any answers. I might as well try though. "-why do you get tense and pale when I ask about the kids in it?"

"No reason." _Fat chance._

"But I can tell you're lying." I was not going to give this up. "Why can't you just tell me what you know? Why is it that, in my dream, I actually have friends, we _all_ have wings, and we are all happy together?"

I could tell that he successfully attempted to relax his facial expression, but his eyes were still alert with fear. "I don't know, but like you said this morning, it's just a dream. So I wouldn't worry about it." I nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an important conference call to initiate for work." He smiled, but I could tell it was forced. I just rolled my eyes and left the room.

I was in the hallway on the way to my bedroom when I forgot to ask him an important question. I turned around and walked back to the kitchen but stopped just outside the door because I could hear that my dad was already on the phone, and he was talking somewhat quietly, which was weird for a _conference call._

I knew I probably shouldn't have been eavesdropping on a private phone call with my dad, but he had been acting weird lately, and I thought this would give me some answers.

It did.

My eyes widened when I heard my dad's side of the conversation, even though I had no idea who he was talking to.

"Yeah, we have a problem." _And that would be?_ "She's starting to remember."

**There's the first chapter. I hope you all liked it and if you have any questions, critiques, or comments, please review… it would really mean a lot to me!**

**THANKS for taking the time to read and I'll see you all soon!**

**-ecStarz**


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